Sash-holder



(No Mode-1. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. U. MGIN-T'IRE.

SASH HOLDER. No. 391,911. Patented Oct. 30, 1888,

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(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. MOINTIRE.

SASH HOLDER. No. 391.911. Patented Oct. 30, 1888.

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lUruTnn STATES PATENT Tries.

CHARLES MOINTIRE, OF NEW'ARK, NEWV JERSEY.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,911, dated October 30, 1888.

Application filed May 9,1885. Serial No. 164,906. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES MoINTIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful lmprovementsin Sash-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and,

exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In said drawings, embodied in two sheets, Figure 1 is an elevation of a window -sash, showing the co operation of my invention therewith. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan of a catch and detaining or ratchet strip. Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 2 through line m. Fig. at isa View similar to Fig. 2, with the top plate removed. Fig. 5 is an elevation of a balancingspring, and Fig. 6 a plan of the same. On Sheet 2, Fig. 7 is a plan showing a modified form of fastener, and Fig. 8 is a view of the interior of the device shown in Fig. 6.

This fastening device is designed to permit the window-sash to which it is secured to be raised and lowered more easily, and likewise to provide a simple and cheap catch which will securely hold the sash in any desired position.

The invention consists in the device and combination of elements therein, substantially as illustrated in the drawings,and as described and claimed herein.

In the drawings, a is a window-sash, to which the improved fastening device is secured, said device consisting of a casing, 1), within which is arranged a reciprocally-moving plate, 0, preferably rounded at the corner 0'. One or more springs, (15, engage with the plate and press the same against the ratchet strip 0 in holding engagement therewith, as indicated in Fig. 2. Said springs are preferably of flat steel, and are arranged in the cast ng or case so as to bear against suitable bearings of said case at opposite ends thereof, and at the center upon the inner edge of the plate a. By this construction springs of comparatively high power may be employed, adapted to throw the plate into hard engagement with the ratchet or rack, so that the window-sash is held securely in place, and yet the teeth of said rack or ratchet may be formed on a greater incline and be rounded at their extremities, so as to obtain a smoother action when lowering the said sash.

Upon the face of the casing is pivoted a1ever, f, which is grooved atf, as indicated in Fig. 3, or slotted, as appears in Fig. 7 which engages with pins o extending through and moving in slots in the casing b. The pivotal point 57 of said lever may be above the point of engagement thereof with the pin 0 (illustrated in Fig. 2,) in which case the movement of the lever is away from the strip e, or below said point, as shown 'in Fig. 7, in which the finger end of the lever moves toward the said strip. The office of the groove f in the lever, or the slot shown in Fig. 7, is to permit the pin 0 which moves therein and is attached to or a part of the plate 0, to play backward and forward as the said plate is affected by the ratchets in raising and lowering the sash without moving the lever. It is necessary to move the lever only when the plate a is to be detached from locking engagement with the an gle 7c. The arrangement of the spring may be varied either as shown in Fig. 4 or in Fig. 7, or in any suitable manner, it being only es sential that the said spring act to press the plate outward against the ratchetstri p. The walls of the casing are turned in forming ways i, between which the plate 0 moves backward and forward, and which prevent said plate from turning pivotally or with an irregular movement, caused by the plate 0 bearing on the variously-inclined surfaces of the rack orratchet. The lever is held in place upon the face of the case or casting at its finger-piece end by a loop, p, formed on the face of the case integral therewith.

The ratchets e are rounded or beveled at the corners to facilitate the movement of the plate, which is pressed into the notches by the spring with sufficient force to prevent the weight of the sash from detaching the plate from the notches. A little added force applied to the sash by the person lowering the same will be enough to overcome the pressure of the spring, and because of the rounded corners of the ratchets and the plate the sash can be easily lowered. Upon the lower end of the ratchet-strip l the outside of the casting, box, or case 12, greater for the bottom sash and upon the upper end of said strip for the top sash is preferably formed a square angle, 70, with which the angular portion 0 of'the plate engages, as indicated in Fig. 1, by which the device serves to lock the sash; but the ratchet-strip may be used without the locking-recess, if desirable.

To balance the sash and compensate for warping, a spring device is arranged on the opposite side of the sash about in a line with the catch, as indicated in Fig. 1, said device consisting of a plate, m, having bent ends which confine springs 12, that bear against the casing. IVhen the device is used as a simple holding mechanism on the sash, the lever may be dispensed with, as it is only necessary to draw the plate from locking engagement, as shown in Fig. 1. However, I prefer to claim particularly the first construction, inasmuch as by that arrangement the person operating the sash when lifting the same is enabled to draw the lever toward the center of said sash when lifting with the lever'operating hand, so that he can naturally draw and lift at one and the same time, as he could not conveniently and naturally were the portion 0 held from pressing on the rack or ratchet by pushing from the center of the window. By having the lever on room is provided for the spring within said case, so that a heavier one or ones may be employed without increasing the size of the box unduly.

The ways 13, between which the holding-plate 0 moves, may be cast upon or riveted to the casing, instead of being formed by turning in the sides of the casing, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- The improved sashfastening which consists, essentially,of a slotted case having ways i i, a plate moving between said ways and adapted to engage the rack to hold the sash, said plate being provided with a pin, 0 and a lever arranged on the outside of said case, and slotted or grooved to receive the said pin and allow the latter to play therein, and a spring, said parts being arranged and combined substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of April, 1885.

CHARLES MOINTIRE. 

